Santa Maria Del Popolo Church In Rome, Italy Editorial Image

Altar of the Visitation in the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in the city center of Rome, Italy. The altarpiece was painted in 1659 by Giovanni Maria Morandi, the favourite portraitist of the Chigi family. A study for the cherubs holding the wreath of roses in the lower left corner is survived in the Museum der Bildenden Künste in Leipzig. Curiously Morandi chose not depict the moment of the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth which is the traditional way to visualize the Visitation. The painting shows Elizabeth inviting her younger cousin into their home. Santa Maria del Popolo was reconstructed between 1472 and 1477 on the orders of Pope Sixtus IV. The church is hemmed in between the Pincian Hill and Porta del Popolo, one of the gates in the Aurelian Wall as well as the starting point of Via Flaminia, the most important route from the north. Its location made the basilica the first church for the majority of travelers entering the city. The church contains works by several famous artists, such Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Alessandro Algardi, Pinturicchio, Andrea Bregno, Guillaume de Marcillat and Donato Bramante.